Kids skate on the ice at Swan Lake this morning. On Tuesday when the temperatures were in the 30s a good Samaritan created smooth paths on the otherwise wet and bumpy lake. A cold snap is forecast for the next few days which should keep the ice well frozen for the near future. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Forecasters say colder weather is on its way for Christmas with temperatures expected to drop to the low teens.
“It’s going to be pretty chilly for the Sitka area,” said meteorologist Jake Ruckman at the National Weather Service in Juneau. “It’s going to get very cold this weekend compared to what’s typical this time of year.”
He said Sitka can expect highs in the low teens on Christmas Day, Saturday, and rising to peak in the lower 20s on Sunday.
Ruckman spoke to the Sentinel around 10:30 a.m. today, when it was 34 degrees with clear skies here and Ruckman was reporting 14 degrees at the Juneau airport and 6 degrees near the Mendenhall Glacier.
“It’s cold across the Panhandle,” he said.
A snow advisory is in effect for the period between 1 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday, with 2 to 5 inches possible, Ruckman said. No snow is expected on Friday and Saturday, and there is a chance of snow Sunday night.
While Sitka has had no record low temperatures so far this month, the coldest day was Dec. 4 (21 degrees). The community is definitely on track for a colder-than-average month, Ruckman said.
The 30-year average temperature (the average of daily lows and daily highs) for the period of December 1 through December 21, is 37.8 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average for the same period this month is 33.2 degrees. The historic average for the entire month of December is 37.5 degrees.
“It looks like a sure bet we will conclude this month below the median temperature,” Ruckman said.
Asked when the cold snap is expected to end, he said, “There’s no clear signal for any sort of return to warmer than normal conditions,” he said. “It’s expected to remain below normal through January.”
The city has a list of guidelines during colder weather, at cityofsitka.com, under the PSA medallion. City Public and Government Relations director Melissa Henshaw thanked city crews and the Alaska Department of Transportation for their snowplowing and removal work.
“It’s great to see bare road surfaces,” she said.
Sitka Harbor Master Stan Eliason said that when snow is in the forecast boat owners should keep their boats shoveled off and make sure their scuppers are clear. He also asked boat owners to remove any items from the docks that might get in the way of the snow removal equipment.
Since the docks have a thin layer of ice now, he advised the public to use extra caution and wear cleats in the harbors.
“That’s what we use down here,” he said.
Deputy Harbor Master Jeremiah Johnson added that if boat owners are running their heaters to make sure they are installed safely; and make sure bilges and scuppers are operational because they can freeze in colder temperatures.
